A wonderful time in the mountains

21Jan/080

God, I love this country. Just when I think that I've got Catalonia's number, I go somewhere new and fall in love all over again. This weekend, we went skiing in Port del Comte in the Solsones comarca. It's right on the edge of the Pyrenees, and thanks to its location, it offers fantastic views towards the main mountain range, as well as back across Catalonia to Monseny, Montserrat and beyond.

The skiing was great, though it's clear that there isn't enough snow on the mountains except in areas where the cannons work overnight. The temperature (especially on Saturday) was phenomenally high for mid-January but it actually made for near-perfect skiing conditions.

Gemma and I took some photos of the trip, especially of the views from the Prepirineu towards Montserrat which could be seen springing up out of a layer of cloud covering the plains of Lleida and Barcelona provinces. We also had the opportunity to eat at the stunning Cap del Pla restaurant on the highway between Port del Comte and Solsones. Cap del Pla is a very traditional masia-style place with a €15 menu which is incredibly filling and utterly delicious. I went for Favetes (beans served with ham and black pudding), Galtes (pig cheeks) and Crema Catalana (crème brûlée), accompanied by pa amb tomaquet (toast with tomato and oil), a porró of wine and a cigaló (coffee with brandy) - potentially the most Catalan meal it is possible to have, and all quite delicious.